SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR NATION BUILDING

OFFIONG,EMMANUELLA JOHN
BASIC STUDIES,UNIVERSITY OF UYO
GST 111

Abstract

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch
which illuminates the world. Science is the highest personification of the nation
because that nation will remain the first which carries the furthest work of thought and
intelligence."-Louis Pasteur.
In recent times, technology has proven to be the bridge that connects the societies
of the world. Science is totally dynamic and has proven to be a world-changer.
Countries are now ranked according to their ability to extract information, dispense
acquired knowledge and invent new things. As a result, science education has become
more than a necessity in nation building as no technologically backward country can
survive in this century. The communication,research,reporting, and collaboration skills
that science provides can produce a generation of individuals who are better prepared
for any career and can make greater contributions to society. Science education has
proven to be a rapid economic booster, a brain energizer and a fuel for invention.

Introduction
Information and technology revolutions are the main stimuli for the evolving
historical reality that globalization represents. For science education to be effective in
nation building, it will require improvements in access to new knowledge and the
various knowledge infrastructure. Proper exchange of information increases both the
access to new technologies and chances are that the more relevant technologies are
developed. Nevertheless, there is need to provide the local population with the kind of
education, training and orientation, which makes it easier for them to distill knowledge,
that is, seperate the universal truths and techniques from the predominantly western
culture. The curriculum for formal and non-formal education, and socio-cultural
orientation programmes should implant in people the mindset that questions new and
existing knowledge, and reject what is not applicable. This may be difficult to attain in
the short-run but it remains the most important requirement for effective education. As
Touraine rightly observes:"Development isn't a continuous evolution, a gradual
passage from the particular to the universal. It is the transition from seeing things in
terms of continuity to seeing them in terms of discontinuity which marks the principal
break between present-day thought and the thought of the previous century. "
 For Aju (1994) success in the innovation endeavour is highly elusive. Yet
technological innovations are vital for development, and policy makers would need to
understand how to manage the processes of technology accumulation. In times past,
Nigeria has been thought of as one of the major back-benchers in science and
technology development, but as of now, Nigeria is currently experiencing technological
backwardness due to poor research mechanism. Formal education and institutional
research in Nigeria may not, however be contributing much to technology learning in
Nigeria. Indeed existing conditions for learning and research in many Nigerian schools
obscure the relevance of education in the process of national development. For most
students, schooling provides the certificates that enable them to pick up jobs they desire.
There is little interest in studying to know. Most lecturers or researchers pre-occupy
themselves with how to meet the basic need for good living. Many who are well-off and
had good ideas initially have lost them in their search for additional ways of making
money. Many now engage in several unrelated, but financially rewarding activities. The
opportunity cost for doing so is the lower teaching and research output. There is very
little concern for improving knowledge by students, teachers or researchers and policy
makers. Nation building today requires increasingly explicit investment in human
capital development i.e science education. Furthermore, in a growing global economy,
the process of technology accumulation has become information-intensive.
Competitive competence is now initially linked to access to vital information.

One of the major drawbacks of science education is lack of instructional materials.

These materials which are meant to facilitate learning are not readily available or are in
poor condition. Efanga (2005) maintains that the availability and use of instructional
materials have significant effect on the performance of the pupils or students. UNESCO
(2000) equally stated that instructional materials are important in the actualization of
the curriculum. Some aspects of science are full of abstract concepts which pose
problems to the students in their understanding. Availability and use of instructional
materials in teaching such difficult concepts will make for better understanding and
thus, achieve the objectives of science education. Also, the teaching methodology plays
a crucially important role in determining the rate at which students understand the
lessons they are being taught. Mbakwe(2005) affirms that methodology of teaching is
what makes a teacher a professional. The old method only presents learners as mere
spectators listening and swallowing all that comes from the teachers. For proper
achievement of the objectives of science by the learners, the teachers should provide
learners with basic knowledge, values, and skills and with some degree of freedom,
allow learners to initiate and complete learning with minimal interference.
The above stated problems can easily be overcome by provision of adequate funds
to enhance science education. This is because inadequate funding militates against the
provision of quality education. It adversely affects provision of infrastructure, facilities
and needed number of teachers. Nwagwu (2004) reported that ill-equipped workshops,
libraries and laboratories exist because of serious shortfalls and inadequacies in
education funding. In addition, class-size should be reduced in order to allow a proper
dispensation of science education. Teacher-pupil ratio is a very big challenge to
teachers of science education. According to the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN,
2004), the teacher -pupil ratio should be 1:35.This standard class size is often abused
especially in public schools were there could be over 60 students in a class. Such class
size totally defeats the purpose for coming to school as only about one-quarter of the
students will be able to listen and understand what is being taught in class. For science
teachers to carry out their teaching very well, they should be able to encourage the
pupils positively, show love, recognize individual differences and plan cooperative
teaching with the pupils. The large number of pupils under the control of the teacher
incapacitates and create interactional gap between the teacher and the learners. The
type and quality of interaction that exists in the classroom does not only determine the
effectiveness of teaching and learning situation but also the attitudes, interest and
personality of learners (Mbakwe, 2005).
Science education helps to re-shape the mindset of the students. Currently, students
do not engage in research and are satisfied with the teacher's explanations. This is
unhealthy for the body and makes the brain dull but science education instills a sense of
creativity and passion for learning. It stimulates the urge for innovation, the invention
of new technologies and in the long-run, boosts the country's economy. It has been
noted that the difference between developed and developing countries is based on the
quantity and quality of science and technology they possess (Ochu, 2007).Nigeria as a
matter of fact needs technologies that are handled by Nigerians. Over the years, we
have had countless experiences of foreign companies and agencies using our
resources(both land and labour) for their own selfish benefits while we receive menial
compensation whereas if we could harness such technology we could use it to its full
potential and obtain reasonable revenue. Science education will also help in developing
responsible citizenry. Science is known to be associated with intelligence, patience and
meticulousness. It will therefore employ students and pupils to be better individuals and
obey rules and regulations properly. It will build self-cautiousness; meaning that the
individual will be careful with whatever he or she is doing in order to avoid causing
harm to a fellow human.
In conclusion, the development of any country depends highly on its level of
literacy. Whether or not it has modern technologies is a later story. Science education is
the surest way of eroding illiteracy. Heavy investment in education and research can
increase the stock of skilled manpower, reduce income inequality and facilitate the
creation of a self-sustaining policy-research culture.
Recommendation
1) Education is a key factor for promoting technology accumulation in Nigeria.
Appropriate education makes people more receptive to new knowledge and
increases the capacity to innovate. An educated population is a technological
infrastructure of a sort.
2) Science education remains a social engineering tool for constructing the
thinking frame of Nigerian people to enhance self-confidence, patriotism and
creativity.
3) Government should provide necessary science research equipment in the
research institutes so that Nigerian scientists can carry out research work
without tears, especially as regards to the current economic situation of the
country.
4) More science laboratories should be established and the few existing one’s
equipped and staffed so that students can have enough facilities to work with.
5) Qualitative and affordable science education should be made accessible to all.
6) More modern learning aids such as computer, internet, web sites facilities,
overhead projectors, etc should be provided in schools.
7) Remuneration of science teachers should be improved upon in order to motivate
them to put in their best in teaching their students.

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